U.S. patent number 4,314,366 [Application Number 06/114,077] was granted by the patent office on 1982-02-02 for method and apparatus for selecting and dispensing individual recording discs stored in compartments in a juke-box.
Invention is credited to Karl Galia.
United States Patent |
4,314,366 |
Galia |
February 2, 1982 |
Method and apparatus for selecting and dispensing individual
recording discs stored in compartments in a juke-box
Abstract
In the selection and dispensing of one of a plurality of
recording discs stored in compartments in a juke-box, each of said
discs bearing a different code, one of said discs is selected by
depressing a key, whereupon the stored discs are scanned
automatically and, on detection of the selected disc, a dispensing
mechanism is actuated automatically.
Inventors: |
Galia; Karl (Ohningen,
DE) |
Family
ID: |
22353238 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/114,077 |
Filed: |
January 21, 1980 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
369/35.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F
17/305 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G07F
17/30 (20060101); G07F 17/00 (20060101); G11B
017/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;209/583 ;340/162
;312/18,15 ;360/98,91,92 ;353/25 ;274/1D,9RA ;250/557,555
;369/30,33,27,34,32,35,37,38,39 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Haroian; Harry N.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Colton & Stone, Inc.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A phonograph disc storage mechanism comprising:
storage means for a plurality of phonograph discs;
manually operable means for indicating a desired one of said
discs;
a plurality of labels each having a machine readable optical code
thereon, each label being in the form of a circular disc having a
radius not greater than that of the title label of the phonograph
disc and a centered hole, at least one label being affixed to each
phonograph disc concentrically with a unique code being provided
for each disc;
first signal generating means operatively connected to said
manually operable means for generating a signal corresponding to
the code of the desired one of said discs;
second signal generating means for reading, successively, the code
on each disc and generating signals corresponding thereto, said
second means including an optical code reader, means for moving
said reader in a path successively past the rim of each disc, and a
light conductor for each storage position, the inlet end of said
conductor being closely adjacent said label and the outlet end
closely adjacent the path of movement of said reader; and
means for comparing the signal from said first signal generating
means and the signals from said second signal generating means to
determine the location of the desired disc.
2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said code reading means is
mounted on a carriage movable in a path extending along said
storage means, and drive means being provided for said
carriage.
3. The mechanism of claim 2 wherein a record dispensing lever is
mounted on said carriage, said means for comparing said signals
controlling said drive means to position said dispensing lever at
the location of the desired disc.
4. The mechanism of claim 3 wherein said drive means is a stepping
motor.
5. The mechanism of claim 3 wherein said dispensing lever is
actuated by a rotary electromagnet.
6. A method for storing and retrieving phonograph discs in a
mechanism of the type having storage means for a plurality of discs
and manually operable disc selecting means, comprising the steps
of:
labeling each disc in the region thereof bearing the title label
with a machine readable optical code, a unique code being provided
for each disc;
placing said discs in said storage means; and
upon actuation of said selecting means, reading the codes on
successive ones of said discs at locations adjacent the rims of
said discs by means of optical conductors and a code reading
mechanism to locate the one of said discs corresponding to the
desired selection.
Description
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for selecting and
dispensing phonograph or disc records, hereinafter simply referred
to as discs, stored in compartments in a juke-box.
Juke-boxes are machines that play selected discs in restaurants,
bars, drugstores, dance halls etc. In one form of juke-box, the
discs are stored in juxtaposition in compartments. Each compartment
is associated with a particular key in a bank of such keys. When a
key is depressed, a carriage is moved up to the selected
compartment, withdraws the disc therefrom and places it on a
turntable. To maintain this special association between a key and a
particular disc, it is essential that the disc be stored only in
its predetermined allocated compartment. This requirement for
placing a disc in a special compartment can become very cumbersome.
When inserting discs of the latest hit tunes and when replacing
discs of less popular pop music with discs which are requested more
frequently, one must follow a very special system. If this system
is not observed, a disc other than the selected disc will be played
on the turntable.
With this consideration in mind, it is an object of the present
invention to devise a method which permits the haphazard insertion
and replacement of discs without following a particular system or
sequence and nevertheless obtain a proper relationship or
association between each selecting key and a particular disc. The
invention provides for each disc to be coded, the coding of all the
discs is scanned successively and, when the selected disc has been
detected, a dispensing mechanism is actuated, the disc is dispensed
and then placed on the turntable. The invention thus departs from
the teaching of the prior art in which the compartments are
associated with the selecting keys. Instead, each disc is
individually coded. The association is therefore no longer by way
of the compartment but directly between a key and a disc.
The coding can be optical, magnetic, inductive, mechanical or by
any other suitable means. Desirably, each disc is coded by adhering
thereto a sticker or label which is divided into light-dark zones
according to the binary-coded-decimal (BCD) code. A scanning and
dispensing unit controllable by the bank of keys can be moved past
the compartmented discs, stop when it detects the selected disc and
operate the dispensing mechanism.
An apparatus for performing the method of the invention comprises
juxtaposed storage compartments for the individual discs, a guide
extending along the compartments for guiding a scanning and
dispensing unit, a drive for said unit and a bank of keys for
controlling said unit. Each compartment is associated with a code
reader which is directed towards the coding on the associated disc,
all the code readers being led to decoding and control means. The
latter activate the drive when a key is depressed and stop the
drive and activate the dispensing unit when the coding on a disc
detected by the associated code reader is identical with the coding
input from the depressed key.
Further features of the invention will become apparent from the
following description and in particular from the recital of the
claims.
In the accompanying drawing, the single FIGURE is a fragmentary
diagrammatic pictorial view of one embodiment of apparatus
according to the invention.
Referring to the drawing, a housing O comprises a plurality of
compartments 3 defined by sector-shaped plates. Discs 2 are stored
in the compartments by standing on edge, there being one
compartment for each disc. A sticker or label 1 in accordance with
the invention is ahdered to the central area of each disc where
there is usually a title sheet containing particulars of the
recording. Each compartment is associated with a light conductor 4.
All the light conductors are stationary and extend vertically. The
light input end of each conductor 4 is disposed opposite the
sticker 1 of the disc in the same compartment. The lower or light
output ends of the conductors 4 are disposed above photocells 16
for a purpose hereinafter described. Each compartment 3 or each
disc 2 is associated with a dispensing lever 5. In this connection,
there are two possible constructions; there may be one dispensing
lever for each compartment or a single dispensing lever common to
all the compartments and moved along beneath the compartments
together with the scanning and control unit. The housing O is
closed by two covers 6. Each cover extends through an arc of about
90.degree. and is of transparent plastics material. The two covers
6 can be displaced to a position below the compartments and discs
so as to render the discs freely accessible. At the front of the
housing there is a bank 7 of keys 8. A carriage 9 is displaceable
beneath the compartments; it is guided on a rod 10 and driven by a
stepping motor 11. By means of a pinion, it moves along a rack 14.
A rotary magnet 12 is also mounted on the carriage 9. Further, the
carriage 9 supports electric or electronic circuitry 13. The latter
is connected to the bank 7 of keys 8 and to a voltage source by
means of a trailing cable 15. The photocell arrangement 16 is
disposed directly beneath the light conductors 4.
In the illustrated example, the discs 2 are provided with stickers
1 which are coded in light-dark zones by the BCD code. This permits
the coding of sixty-two discs. Two further characteristics are then
still available for switching operations.
In preparation for use of the apparatus, each disc is provided with
its sticker 1. Each sticker is associated with a particular key 8
identified by the title of the recording. The discs can be
haphazardly positioned in the various compartments without
following any particular rule. To play a disc, the user depresses
the associated key 8. The stepping motor 11 is energized by way of
the trailing cable 15. The motor displaces the carriage 9 in steps
equal to the pitch of the compartments 3, the carriage moving
beneath these compartments. This also causes the photocell
arrangement 16 to move past the individual light conductors 4. The
circuitry 13 contains logic elements such as AND gates. In a
particular position, the circuitry 13 will detect identity between
the characteristic information fed in by the key 8 and that
detected by the photocell arrangement 16. The stepping motor 11
with then stop. The dispensing lever 5 will now be accurately
located below the disc 2 that was nominated by depressing the key.
The rotary magnet 12 is now also energised. It lifts the dispensing
lever 5 which, in turn, lifts or dispenses the selected disc 2. The
selected disc may be finally removed by hand or automatically
placed on a turntable so as to be played. After a disc has been
removed from its compartment, all the functions of the apparatus
return to their starting position.
The advancing motion of the stepping motor 11, that is to say the
pitch of the rack 14, is synchronized to the width or pitch of the
compartments 3.
* * * * *